


Pamplemousse

by chimaeracabra



Category: Captain America (Movies)
Genre: Cute, Dad!Steve, Drowning, F/M, Family, Fluff, Protective!Bucky, Romance, Tattooed Bucky Barnes, dad!bucky, tattoo!Bucky
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-11
Updated: 2017-03-11
Packaged: 2018-10-02 14:03:44
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,079
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10219853
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chimaeracabra/pseuds/chimaeracabra
Summary: Bucky takes his family on a little summer vacation.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Secrets Aren't for Keeping](https://archiveofourown.org/works/2799851) by [chimaeracabra](https://archiveofourown.org/users/chimaeracabra/pseuds/chimaeracabra). 



> WHY THE FUCK CAN'T I STOP WRITING THESE?!?!

            As Bucky pulls the rental van up the driveway of the lakefront rental home they will be spending the next week in, he can't wait to get out on the water and take his daughter canoeing. He had promised her from the moment he announced the getaway that he would take her on the water to explore the lake. But as he kills the ignition, he comes to find little Christina asleep in her car seat. His smile fades. Cherise clasps his shoulder.

            "Why the long face?" she whispers before kissing his chin, immediately causing Bucky to smile again.

            "I wanted to take her out on a canoe. Promised her it would be the first thing we did," Bucky whispers back. Cherise presses her forehead to his a moment, and he takes his hands off the wheel to clasp hers. This vacation has been a long time coming, and he's just happy to be with his family, the only missing member being Bob, their elderly brown lab, who is currently being baby sat by Sam and Kate at home. Bucky kisses Cherise's forehead. They slowly get out of the car and Bucky turns around to take in the sight before him.

            "Wow," he says, squinting up into the noontime sun. The scenery is even more beautiful than it was in the online photos. He's not surprised that Christina is asleep; she had refused to nap on the roughly 90-minute flight from home. She was too excited to sleep, but after stopping at a local diner to eat, she passed out as soon as the trio got back into the rental van to drive to their vacation home. Bucky takes a deep breath, watching as Cherise finally runs around the van and jumps on him. He catches her like she weighs nothing, her legs wrapping about his waist. He laughs.

            "What's this for?"

            "I _love_ it!" Cherise exclaims, "It's homey, it's quiet, we have a _lake_." She starts kissing his face up, making him laugh. He steps towards the front of the car, placing Cherise atop the hood.

            "Well, baby, what did you think I meant when I said 'lakefront view?'" he asks sarcastically. Cherise sighs, pushing her hands repeatedly through his brown hair.

            "I love you, James."

He grins.

            "Oh, yeah?" he questions, inching his hands beneath the back of her shirt, "Want to go find the bedroom and show me how much you love me, before princess in there wakes up?"

            "Guys!" Steve shouts in the near distance. Bucky sighs, bowing his head into Cherise's shoulder. He stops trying to unhook her bra.

            "Tonight," she whispers into his ear, and shivers travel like electric shocks down his spine. Cherise gazes towards Steve, who is quickly followed by James Jr. and Natasha. They had rented the little house down the road from hers and Bucky's. Aside from being cock blocked, Bucky appears perfectly content to turn around and greet his best friend.

            "Wow," Steve says, placing a hand over his eyes to shield them from the sun as they widen when he takes in the little vacation house.

            "How much more you payin' for that, Buck?" Steve asks, "It's _right_ on the water."

Bucky laughs.

            "Just enough," Bucky states, pushing Steve's shoulder.

He then pulls Cherise down off the van's top, keeping his arm strewn around her waist.

            "I knew Cherry would like it. So I couldn't resist. What's a couple of hundred dollars more?"

Steve winks at Cherise.

            "Where's the princess?" he asks, realizing the girl isn't standing between Cherise and Bucky.

            "Napping," Cherise states, "And we should _let_ her," she adds, eying Bucky a moment and cocking a brow. He laughs, turning back to the car to let the windows down about half way before gently closing the driver's side door and locking it, pocketing the keys. Christina stays blissfully asleep inside.

            "Hi, uncle Bucky. Auntie, Reese," James Jr. says, waving and leaning against Natasha's legs. Cherise kneels to kiss his forehead, Natasha brushing Cherise's arm fondly.

            "Hey, buddy," Bucky states, "We're still on for baseball this week, aren't we?" James Jr. nods.

            "Alright," Bucky states, offering his hand for James to jump up to and high five. He looks about for his little cousin.

            "Where's screamy?" James Jr. asks. Cherise holds back a laugh. The newest nickname Steve's son has coined for her daughter is merely fitting.

            " _Christina_ ," Steve corrects, tousling his son's hair, "Is taking a nap in the van. But you're still going to teach her all about camping during this trip, aren't you, James?"

            "Yeah, dad," James giggles.

            "It _is_ nice, Reese," Natasha states, eying the cottage, "I brought the lawn chairs so we can tan on the lawn."

            "I'm beyond done with winter, Nat. Don't even get me started."

            "Why don't you help auntie Reese and mom get settled in the house?" Steve asks James Jr., who starts to run for the front door, wanting to be first. Natasha and Cherise continue talking as they jog after the boy.

            " _Damn_ , Buck. Really, how much more are you paying for this one?" Steve asks. Bucky only laughs in return.

            "Thanks for inviting us—really. James loves to camp and so I thought this might be a nice opportunity to have him do that. If it's okay with Cherise—I know it is with _you_ —he was hoping to teach Christina how to set up tents, fish, all that boy scout type of stuff."  

            "Of course, I'll need permission from the wife first, but I know Stina's in safe hands with you and James. I don't know how it's gonna sell, though. I know Cherry's probably not gonna want Stina anywhere _near_ fishing hooks or hunting knives."

            Steve laughs, "Who said anything about _knives_ …but, I won't lie, James pretty much knows his way around a Bowie knife."

Bucky gawks, "See, but you can get away with doing shit like that. You have a boy, and I already know Natasha's the kind of broad who that stuff doesn't even _faze_ , so…it's different with you," Bucky says, shrugging and scratching the back of his head. Steve narrows his eyes playfully at Bucky, bumping his shoulder.

            "Don't be jealous, now, Bucky. You _know_ my boy looks up to you as much as he looks up to me. You know, he was really excited when you said you'd take him canoeing," Bucky smiles genuinely.

            "Speaking of, a couple of months back, I sorta…asked Cherry to have another baby. I love my daughter—you of all people know that—but sometimes I wish we'd had a boy. Just 'cause…you know…my kid would probably be a bit more into the masculine activities."

Steve's eyes widen in surprise.

            "It's funny," Steve says, gazing over at the lake, the sun reflecting off it and into his eyes causing him to turn his gaze back to Bucky's waiting eyes, "'Cause I always wanted a daughter. But…I wouldn't change my son for the world."

Bucky scoffs half-jokingly, "Yeah, _duh_. Because he's _just_ like you. A chip off the old block."

Steve laughs.

            "But, _really_? What did Reese say when you ran that idea by her? As I remember it, she had a _hell_ of a pregnancy with Christina."

            Bucky shrugs, "Yeah, I know. Made me feel bad to even ask."

            "Are you happy?"

            Bucky doesn't hesitate, "Yeah, my god, _always_ , Steve."

            "Then that's all that matters."

Bucky rubs Steve's shoulder gratefully. He glances in the window again to see that Christina is still sleeping. He starts for the cottage.

            "You gonna leave her in there?" Steve asks.

            "Windows are down enough, doors are locked, and my eye never misses a goddamn thing," Bucky says confidently. Steve looks at him with shock. There were times, particularly when Christina was still a newborn, where Bucky would never have even _fathomed_ leaving her alone in a car for just one second. He had been a helicopter parent for the first year and a half or so of Christina's life. Steve didn't blame him, honestly. After everything that went down with Bucky's history, he could clearly see why he would never, _ever_ let his child out of his sight. Bucky had even admitted at times over drinks to fearing that Hydra agents were still out to get him, and what would have hurt Bucky more than anything in the world is not the thought of losing his own life, but losing the lives of the people he loves. For the longest time, he didn't even trust anyone but friends like Steve and Natasha to babysit for him and Cherise. It had taken so much time for Bucky to tone down his protectiveness _just_ an iota enough that he would dare leave his daughter in a locked car in plain view.

            "You feeling okay, buddy?" Steve asks, "The heat getting to you?" Bucky playfully swats Steve's hand away from his forehead. Cherise wanted her to nap, and what Bucky learned the hard way about his daughter was that there was a direct correlation between the number of naps and the number of tantrums Christina decided to have in any given day. He was _determined_ to get the girl to have a tantrum-free evening, if only to allow Cherise time to really unwind properly. This vacation is supposed to serve as a de-stressor for them as a family. He's going to do everything in his power to ensure that things go swimmingly.

            Cherise is already slicing cheese and setting out an array of fancy crackers they had picked up at the store on the way to the rental home. James Jr. is parked in front of the TV on the couch, and Cherise practically shoves a glass of wine into Bucky's hand as he leaves only the screen door closed, keeping the rental car with the five-year-old inside in clear sight.

            "She still napping?" Cherise asks. He nods, kissing Cherise's forehead and taking a sip of wine. Everything about this place seems to be relaxing Cherise. Bucky finds himself relieved to see her less tense for once. Two hours pass, during which time, Bucky and Steve continue to converse in the kitchen with Cherise and Natasha. Bucky takes it upon himself to walk back to the van every half hour or so and get an actual visual of his daughter sleeping. She looked like she was dreaming peacefully, her chest rising and falling rhythmically. Every time he walks back to the house, there's a smile on his face. The weather is just above seventy-five degrees, and it couldn't be a more perfect day. It isn't until Bucky sees Cherise walking anxiously towards the house forty minutes later that he starts to feel a little bit stressed out.

            "What's wrong?" he asks, following Cherise into the house. She doesn't answer him, so he follows as she rushes up the stairs, calling Christina's name. And just like that, his heart lurches.

            "She's not in the car?" he asks.

            "No," Cherise states, trying to sound calm, but her voice is on edge.

            "What? I just checked on her," he says, reassuringly. He follows Cherise into the bedrooms, even looking under the bed and in the closet.

            "Stina?" he calls, pausing at the attic door. Doubting his daughter would wander up to such a dark place on her own (she slept with a nightlight), Bucky still ventures up there, feeling Cherise follow him closely behind. At this point, Steve and Natasha are sweeping the rooms, having picked up on Cherise's sudden unease.

            "Christina? …Baby, if you're trying to play hide-and-seek, daddy needs you to come out where he can see you right now…Stina? Stina?" At times, Christina would do this, never really understanding how much it scared her parents. She would come running out of a closet laughing when trying to evade bedtime. But as Bucky rushes down into the basement, he realizes this is not one of those times.

            "Did you see her?" Steve asks as Bucky makes it back into the living room, where James Jr. is asleep on the couch.

            "No," Bucky says breathlessly, clutching his chest.

            "Backyard," Natasha states with determination, rushing out there with Cherise on her tail. Bucky can hear the two women calling out to Christina. He walks back out the front door, hands shaking as he unlocks the van. When he doesn't find his daughter inside, he turns in circles, finally stopping to stare at the lake.

            "Bucky," Steve just about whispers. Steve follows Bucky's gaze towards an orange canoe near the dock. Bucky jets for it without warning. Christina doesn't know how to swim. The windows were rolled down just enough that it's not improbable that she could have unbuckled herself and went for the water.

            " _Christina!_ " he screams, in this tone of utter agony, a sound so viscerally painful to Steve's ears and heart simultaneously. Steve is the first to make it into the water, feeling about at the bottom madly. When he comes up for air, he finds Bucky already in the water, turning every which way, disappearing underneath for two minutes at a time. He finally rushes out of the lake and towards the backyard where Cherise and Natasha had gone to look. The women had ventured into the woods, Natasha running out from a path, nearly bumping into Steve.

            "Reese kept running out into the woods—I told her I would check the house again," Natasha states, trying to remain calm, but as she takes in the sight of Steve and Bucky dripping wet, she begins to fear the worst. Bucky follows suit at the speed of light into the woods, calling after Cherise and Christina. He hears Cherise screaming out, asking where Christina is, and the sound only causes him greater panic. He finally comes upon a patch where there's more lake and tall grass. Cherise's shouting had stopped a few seconds before he got there, and he suddenly hears his wife's voice, vehemently reprimanding Christina. He trips into the water hastily, picking himself right back up. He finally spots Cherise waist-deep, clutching the girl.

            "Don't you _ever_ run off like that again," she says, her voice angry, but relieved at the same time. Christina begins to cry.

            "I'm _sorry_ , mommy!" the girl sobs. He finds himself scared out of his mind that Christina had actually ventured into the water herself; her loose brown curls are plastered wetly against her face.

            "I just wanted to swim, mommy, so I could show you and daddy I learned myself," Christina explains. Cherise looks up to Bucky with wide eyes, crying.

            "But you know you _can't_ , baby," Cherise states, still clutching the girl to her chest.

            "She got into the _water_ , James. She wandered all the way out here and…"

Bucky wades into the water towards his wife and daughter. He passes a hand down Cherise's back, breathing a sigh of relief, wrapping his arms around both of them.

            "What did I tell you about wandering off?" Bucky snaps, looking into Christina's eyes. He eases his tone when he sees her recoil slightly, "You can't _do_ that, princess—not here. This is not our house. We didn't know where you were. We were _scared_ ," Bucky explains.

            "I'm _sorry_ ," Christina cries, rubbing her eyes with her small fists. Steve and Natasha are standing with relief several feet away, watching the family reunite.

            "Don't ever do that again, baby girl. Okay?" Bucky says, picking Christina up, realizing she has lost a shoe somewhere in this lake.

            "Okay," she cries, "Sorry I make you mad, daddy."

He kisses her cheek desperately, "I'm not mad at you, baby—mommy and I were very, very scared that something happened to you. You could have drowned." Bucky starts towards land, wiping Christina's eyes. She buries her face in his chest, sobbing, and Cherise follows him, wiping her own eyes.

            "You cannot go swimming unless you _ask_ us, or auntie Nat and uncle Steve first, okay?" Cherise says gently. Christina nods, keeping her face pressed into Bucky's chest. Bucky nods gratefully at Steve, and Natasha's hand is still clutching her chest.

            "She alright?" Steve asks.

            "Yes. Thank god," Bucky sighs, kissing the top of  Christina's head. Cherise takes her out of Bucky's arms.

            "Your clothes are soaked now. Let's go change," Cherise states. Bucky pushes his hands into his soggy pockets and gazes skywards a moment.

            "I'm sorry guys. We didn't mean to—"

            "It's okay," Steve interrupts pushing a hand out before him, "I know I woulda had the same reaction if James ever pulled a stunt like that," he adds.

            "Oh please, your son could _swim_ when he was five years old."

Natasha laughs lightly.

            "Jesus, Christina's afraid of the dark, but not a big fucking expanse of open water where _anything_ could be lurking inside to get her? I do not understand my child."

Steve laughs.

            "I dunno how she got outta that van without any of us _seeing_ her," he adds. Natasha shrugs.

            "She's a stealthy agent. Just like her daddy."

Bucky wades back into the water to find Christina's shoe, and by the time he does, only Steve is still waiting there for him, getting bitten by mosquitoes and soaking wet under the afternoon sun.

           

            Christina is kept within sight for the rest of the evening, until Bucky puts her down for bed. He makes sure every door is locked at least three times before being satisfied that they actually _are_.

            "Jesus, Cherry. Was she actually _swimming_ when you found her?" Bucky asks, watching as his wife plugs her phone in to charge at the nightstand.

            "No, she could _barely_ keep her head above water," Cherise states, her voice breaking. Bucky rushes to comfort her.

            "James, she could have _drowned_ —"

            "Don't say that—we found her. She's _safe_. It's not going to happen again."

            "I was watching the car, too. I don’t know how the _hell_ she—"

            "Shhh, shh."

Bucky has to basically force Cherise to sit down on the bed. He can only hold her for a handful of seconds before she literally shoves him off and rushes into the bathroom.

            "Cherry?" He can hear her throwing up before he sees her kneeling in front of the toilet, losing her dinner. Bucky approaches her carefully, trying to help hold her hair back. Cherise groans, gently pushing his hands away.

            "James, please," she mumbles, "Give me a moment," she says. He leans back against the wall, watching as Cherise gets up and flushes the toilet. She washes her hands and rinses her mouth. Cherise pauses, hands over her stomach, looking like she might blow again. She kicks up the lid of the toilet seat and retches, but nothing comes out.

            "Fuck…what just happened to me?" Cherise asks herself. If her vomiting was simply a reaction to what had nearly become of their daughter earlier that day, she figures it would have happened earlier. Bucky's eyes widen and he pops up off the wall.

            "Are you pregnant?" The question reverberates off of silence for a while. The _only_ time Bucky has ever seen Cherise vomit is when she was pregnant. Even the times where they lost the baby, she _always_ got sick like this. Cherise is not one to get sick for any other reason, and when she does, vomiting has never been involved. She looks at Bucky like he's crazy, and then with utter fear, which gradually turns to irritation.

            "Honey…I think you might be—"

            "I'm _not_ pregnant—I'm _stressed out_!" Cherise argues. Bucky's eyes don't reduce in size; she rarely gets this loud with him. He rarely sees her this…angry? He's not entirely sure whether she's angry, anxious, or frightened, but looking at her face as she paces, Bucky decides it's a combination of all three emotions. She stares at the wall a moment and then sighs, swearing under hear breath emphatically.

            "I…I can't be…I'm—I'm…I'm just upset about what happened today," she states. Bucky takes a step towards Cherise cautiously.

            "I don't think it's just that—"

            "James…" she closes her eyes, not wanting to face him. She doesn't want to believe that he's right, while knowing that he very well might be. His heart lurches again, because he's almost certain his gut is right.

            "I'll go to the pharmacy tomorrow and pick up a test. For now, let's just try to start enjoying this vacation," Cherise states, her eyes still closed. Bucky slowly closes the gap between the two of them, wrapping his arms around Cherise.

            "We all ate the same things today, honey, breakfast, lunch, and dinner. If it was just food poisoning or something, I'd be puking, too," Bucky explains gently. She clutches his arm really tightly then, and he doesn't have to hear her speak a word to know how scared she suddenly is.

 

 

            "Are those tattoos?" Steve asks, flipping the last burger before placing the spatula on some foil.

            "When did you get them?" Steve asks, crossing his arms and cocking an eyebrow curiously. Bucky pronates his arms so that they face his best friend. Steve's eyes flit over the cursive on Bucky's forearms.

            "Almost two weeks ago. My princess," Bucky explains, pointing to the name on his right forearm, "And my queen," he says, pointing to the name beautifully inked on his left arm.

            "Christina and Cherise," Steve states, smiling.

            "Yeah," Bucky grins, finishing the last of his beer.

            "How's Reese doing after yesterday?" Steve asks, gazing over at the dock where she's sitting with Christina in her lap, a life vest on the girl, water wings as well. Natasha and James are already swimming in the water. Bucky laughs lightly.

            "Well, she was just as upset as I was, but I know she's relieved. I was half afraid she was gonna tell me it was already time to pack up and leave after that whole incident. I'm surprised she wanted to stay. But Christina isn't allowed to step outside of the house or anywhere _near_ the lake without one of us first."

Steve nods, "That's understandable."

            "I'll be right back," Bucky explains. He walks to the van to grab the shopping bag he'd picked up from a local pharmacy that morning. He brings the bag into the kitchen, out of sight, emptying its contents onto the counter top: a pack of mint chewing gum, condoms, and a pregnancy test. He had let Cherise sleep in, venturing out on his own to buy the test for her. If she is in fact pregnant, he doesn't want her to be any more stressed out than she has to be. Yesterday was scary for him, too. He laughs to himself, throwing the condoms back into the bag first, figuring they'll be of no use whatsoever if the result he's hoping for shows up on the pregnancy test.

            He picks up a pad of post-it notes and a pen from inside the kitchen drawer, walking up to the bedroom he and Cherise are staying in. He takes a long look in the mirror before sighing and writing out a note to Cherise in blue ink. _Whether this comes out positive or not, I want you to know how much I love you and Christina. You will both always be my world, the queen and the princess_. Grinning sheepishly to himself, he opens the box to stuff the note inside, knowing that it will make Cherise smile while she's peeing on the stick later.

            Rejoining the families outside, Bucky finds that Steve is done grilling, already setting the burgers up on buns. Christina rushes over to Bucky in her water wings, dripping wet. She hugs his legs, causing him to laugh.

            "I jumped in the lake, daddy," she explains, laughing.

            "Did you, baby?" he asks, picking up her wet body, the water cooling him where it seeps into his t-shirt. Christina nods.

            "James taught me how," she explains excitedly.

            "That's my girl," Bucky states, "Are you hungry?"

            "Mmmm…not really. I just want to swim more."

            "Okay, princess. But after mommy eats. She's been out there with you for a while. Come sit with me. You can have a popsicle."

Christina cheers excitedly, bouncing in Bucky's arms. Steve laughs.

 

            They realize it might have been more economical if they had all simply _shared_ the one rental home that Bucky got, as Steve, Natasha, and James Jr. end up spending the night, Steve out in the tent in the backyard that the children had helped him set up. Natasha brings out mugs of hot cocoa, as the night became a bit chillier. Unbeknownst to the five-year-old, Christina was going to be carried inside and to her bed once she fell asleep, but she couldn't have been more excited to spend time learning how to camp from her big cousin. The activities of the evening give ample time for Cherise and Bucky to disappear into their room for a while.

            "If you're not sure and you want to wait until you can go home and see your doctor—"

            "No, James. I need to know _now_ ," Cherise states, reading the back of the box he had picked up for her that morning. He sneaks up behind her and wraps his arms around her waist, kissing her neck, swaying from side to side in a soothing manner. Cherise grins.

            "Have you been feeling as nauseous as you were last night?" he asks gently.

            "Not so bad…I think I was just so terrified after we went crazy looking for Stina. You know what? Maybe that's all it was," she states, looking in the mirror into Bucky's eyes via his reflection. He leans in against her ear, speaking with minty cool breath that sends shivers down Cherise's spine.

            "Maybe _not_ ," he says quietly. She blushes, taking a deep breath.

            "I just want you to be…relaxed," Bucky explains, "This vacation is for you and Stina. I'm gonna take good care of you. I always take care of my girls."

            "That you _do_ , Bucky," Cherise breathes, placing the box on the bureau to turn around and kiss him genuinely. She manages to steal his gum in the process and he laughs.

            "I mean it, Bucky, I love you _so_ much," she states, cupping his clefted chin. He beams down at her with this agape sort of expression, like he never felt such an all-encompassing sense of love before. It's the same way that he looked at her the day she walked down the aisle to marry him, and for a moment, her eyes water.

            "You are _the_ best husband in the world," she states.

            "Well, damn. I _knew_ you gave me that mug for a reason," he says sarcastically. She laughs. Bucky seats her atop the bureau to continue kissing. And he grasps the box behind Cherise.

            "Are you _sure_ you don't wanna wait and go to the doctor? Sometimes these things can give you false—"

            "James, I'm okay with it if it's positive. If it is, then I think that just means it was meant to be."

Bucky's eyes widen. Cherise smiles.

            "Do you mean that?" he asks cautiously, as if he's afraid of her answer. Cherise nods.

            "I love you, Cherry," he says. She pulls away from his kiss several seconds later.

            "I _really_ have to pee now, though, so you're gonna have to move."

He laughs, handing Cherise the box and allowing her to rush into the bathroom. He paces nervously in the adjoining room the entire time. Cherise can't help but cry tears of utter joy upon reading the little note Bucky had left inside the box. She stares out the window at a full moon, anxiously awaiting the result. In the few minutes that she had been waiting to see the results of the test, she found herself actually starting to hope it would come out positive. She knew it would make Bucky happy if they got a chance at having a boy. All she wanted to do was make Bucky happy, but she realized, after reading the little post-it note seven times, that he would be okay with it if the test was negative. She stands there anxiously, yet assured that his love for her won't change.

            When Cherise finally steps out of the bathroom, happening upon Bucky sitting on the bed, bouncing his leg and pushing his hands repeatedly through his hair, he stops immediately. He stares at her blank expression for several seconds before standing up to his full height.

            "Cherry?"

            "It's negative," she says calmly. Bucky's anxiety dissipates. He grins with finality.

            "Does that…are you okay with that?"

            "Cherry, I just want you to be happy," Bucky states genuinely, "I'm only happy if you're happy," he adds, and she inhales deeply as Bucky wraps his arms around her.

            "You were right, you must have thrown up because of the anxiety we experienced yesterday over Stina. That's perfectly understandable."

They share a long kiss that is interrupted only by the sound of someone knocking on the bedroom door.

            "Come in," Bucky states, keeping Cherise in his grip. Steve pushes his head through, looking kind of embarrassed to find them embracing, hoping he didn't interrupt anything. He speaks lowly.

            "Christina fell asleep, so Nat put her up in her bed. We just wanted to let you both know."

            "Thank you, Steve," Bucky nods.

            "And, is it really okay with you guys if we camp out in your yard tonight? Feel like we shoulda saved some cash and joined you guys here!"

Cherise laughs.

            "Yeah, I don't mind. We'll even leave the doors unlocked, in case it gets too cold and you three wanna move your tent into the kitchen or something," Bucky adds. Steve laughs some more.

            "…Are you guys alright?" Steve asks, entering the room halfway. He looks around instinctively, almost as if he expects that they're hiding something. His eyes dart away from the box that contained the pregnancy test, and he blushes.

            "Christ, Steve, we're trying to have _sex_. Get out already, wouldja?" Bucky states, half-jokingly. A smug grin meets Steve's face and he disappears, Cherise deprived of oxygen from laughing in Bucky's arms. He looks down at her, holding back a laugh. And then he tosses her on the bed, causing her to drop the pee-stained pregnancy test.

            "Oh, you thought I was kidding, did you?" Bucky asks lecherously, pulling off his shirt. Cherise throws hers off into a corner somewhere when he pounces.


End file.
